Cork insert feeding device for crown cap assembly machines



1948- J. w. HOFFECKER ET AL .4 5

CORK INSERT FEEDING DEVICE FOR CROWN CAP ASSEMBLY MACHINES Filed March 24, 194:5

C Z H INVEIIZITORS J. Wes e offer er 772g. 3 fam s 71 2150 55 21 William jvimsluhl/ Patented Feb. 10, 1948 CORK INSERT FEEDING DEVICE FOR CROWN CAP ASSEMBLY MACHINES John Wesley Holl'eeker, James Wilson, and William Nenstlehl, Wilmington, Del.. al lignorl. by meme assignments, to Continental Can Company, Inc., a corporation of New York Application March 24, 1943, Serial No. 480,334

2 Claims. (01. 113-113} This invention relates to devices for manufacturing or assembling crown caps for boLtles, beer cans and the like, and relates more particularly to improvements in mechanisms for feeding cork or other composition inserts for assembly in such crown caps.

The crown caps commonly used in sealing bottles and narrow-neck cans consist of dish-l kc metallic elements having a cork or other compressible disc-like insert secured to the bottom of the cap that may be sealed tightly with the lip of the bottle or the can. The dish-shaped caps and the composition inserts are formed separately and are assembled by means of suitable feeding, transferring and pressing devices. The devices heretofore used for feeding the inserts or discs to a position to be assembled with the partially formed crown caps, include a magazine or tube in which the discs are stacked one on top of the other with each disc in a horizontal position so that the lowermost disc of the stack may be withdrawn from the magazine and pressed into the metal crown cap. Such insert feeding devices may .include a hopper into which the discs are dumped at random. An agitating or shaking device may be interposed between the hopper and the magazine for feeding the discs from the hopper into the top of the tube or magazine. The above-described mechanism sometimes permits the discs to fall into the tube or magazine while inclined to the horizontal or to be tipped from the horizontal by contact with the side of the magazine while falling; with the result that they land on one edge and are retained in that position by engagement with the wall of the tube or magazine and the discs therebeneath. Other discs falling on the slanting disc assume similar slanting positions and Jam in the tube or the associated transfer device. thereby necessitating shutting down of the device to clear the Jam.

An object of the present invention is to provide a feeding mechanism that will prevent'the inserts from Jamming in the magazine of th feeding device or the transfer device.

Another object of the invention is to provide insert-feeding devices that cause the inserts to assume horizontal stacked positions in the magazine, and in particular at the lower end of the magazine of the device. thereby assuring uniform feeding of the inserts from the device.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the description of a typical form of device embodying the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention. devices of the type described above are provided with mechanisms for vibrating the inserts in the feeding magazine so that they will assume horizontal stacked positions therein and, therefore. feed freely through and from the magazine.

More particularly. the feeding magazines of such insert-feeding mechanisms are provided with an agitator which vibrates and strikes the edges ofthe stacked inserts causing any of the inserts that are in "cocked" position or inclined to the horizontal to assume a horizontal position.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a view in front elevation of a typical form of insert-feeding device embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the device of Figure l. partly broken away to show details thereof; and.

Figure 3 is a view in cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

The form of device chosen to illustrate the present invention consists of a hopper ill for receiving, in random relationship. a plurality of inserts A for crown caps. The hopper i0 has a downwardly extending housing Illa which is generally U-shaped in cross-section, having a flat bottom lllb, side walls illc and a rear wall llld which terminates short of the bottom lllb.

The hopper I 0 may be supported by means of one or more'uprights it which are joined to the hopper ill in any suitable way.

Within the downwardly extending housing Illa is an agitating and feeding mechanism I! which consists of a floor i2a that rests slidably upon the bottom iilb of the hopper and has an end portion extending through a slot beneath the rear wall i lid of the hopper. .The agitating mechanism I2 is provided with a downwardly extending feeding chute it at its forward end that is disposed in front of the bottom tub of the hopper. The agitating member is further provided with upwardly extending side walls It and a front wall It to form with the housing Illa a chamber for receiving the inserts A. A forwardly extending flange I 8 at the front of the hopper serves to close the open top of the agitating mechanism It.

The agitating mechanism i2 is further provided with a lug Il extending downwardly from the bottom of the floor l2a through the bottom lilb of the hopper Iii and is provided with a slot Ha for receiving a crank pin it on a disc IS. The disc I9 is supported upon a shaft 20 that is joumaied in one of the supporting members ii and is driven in any suitable way to cause the agitating mechanism i2 to reciprocate in a horizontal plane.

The motion of the agitating mechanism l2 causes the inserts in the hopper ill to feed through the discharge chute l3 into a magazine 22 of generally tubular form which is mounted upon a bracket 22' secured to the upright ll. As shown particularly in Figure 2, the tubular member 2i receives a single stack of the inserts A" in such position that they can be fed one by one into the crown caps. One form of transfer or feeding device may include apertures 23 in a transfer mechanism or plate 24 which feeds the inserts successively beneath a plunger or press 25. The member 24 is supported upon a second plate 26 which is provided with an aperture 21 therein through which the inserts "A" are forced by the press 25 into the metallic crown caps C as they pass beneath the aperture 2! on a conveyor member 23. Any other desired type of device may be used for feeding the inserts into the caps.

A device of the type described above sometimes jams because of the fact that the inserts "A" in magazine 2| sometimes assume positions incl'ned to the horizontal with the result that the discs jam against the side of the magazine 2| and prevent free feeding of the discs into the transfer member 25.

In order to overcome this tendency of the inserts "A" to Jam, I have provided a vibrator mechanism which will cause the inserts to assume a horizontal position no matter how they may fall from the hopper into the magazine 2i. The

'mechanism illustrated includes a vibrating hammer bar 29 which extends along a substantial portion of the length of the magazin 2i and is pivotally connected by means of a screw 30 or other equivalent means to a strap 3| that is secured to the magazine 2|. The bar 28 is so arranged that it projects a short distance into the magazine 2i through a slot 2la, as shown particularly in Figures 2 and 3. The upper end of the bar is guided by means of a second strap 32 that encircles the magazine 2i and has a laterally projecting portion 33 formed of the end portions of the strap, The end portions are spaced apart a suilicient distance to receive the bar 29 loosely and permit limited movement of the bar relatively thereto. The bar is normally urged toward the magazine 2| by means of one or more springs 34 that extend around or are secured to the'upper end of the magazine H. The upper end of the bar is provided with a bumper 35 formed of leather, rubber or other suitable material which normally engages the front wall I! or the feed chute i3 of the agitating mechanism i2. With this arrangement, reciprocation of the agitating mechanism l2 causes oscillation of the bar 29 which in turn sets up vibrations in the stack of inserts "A" already in the magazine 2i due to the rapid blows of the bar upon the edges of the stacked inserts. The impacts and resultant vibrations of the stacked inserts "A" causes them to assume a horizontal position even if they should fall into the magazine in a position inclined to the horizontal. Thus, under all circum- I stances, the inserts "A" will feed freely downwardly through the magazine and assume a position which insures that they may be removed by thetransfer mechanism 24 without Jamming.

The device described above has been found particularly effective in feeding inserts of ring type which are provided with a central aperture. Such 4 ring inserts have a greater tendency to hang and jam in the magazine than those of the plain disk type for the reason that the outer edges of some of the rings engage the inner edges of other rings and thus prevent free relative sliding movement of the rings. With the mechanism described above, such inter-engaging rings are shaken apart and are caused to slide relatively into the desired stacked horizontal relationship,

It will be understood that devices of the type described above are susceptible to considerable modification without departing from the invention. Such changes as modification of shape or size of the elements, modification of the mechanism for actuating the agitator i2 and the vibrating bar 29, and changes in the shape ad size or the vibrating bar may be made without departing from the invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above-described typical embodiment of the invention is illustrative. only, and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A device for feeding inserts of disc or ring form for crown caps comprising a vertically disposed tubular magazine for receiving a plurality of inserts to be stacked therein in superposed fiat face-to-face relation, said magazine having an internal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said'inserts whereby to maintain the edges of said inserts in substantial alignment once they have been brought into stacked relation in the magazine, said magazine also having a slot extending lengthwise in the wall thereof, feeding meansadjacent the upper end of said tubular magazine for receiving and feeding said inserts to the upper end of said tubular magazine, a hammer bar positioned within said slot and extending therealong adjacent the edges of a column of stacked inserts in said tubular magazine, means supporting said hammer bar for vibratory movement through said slot toward and away from said stacked inserts within said magazine and edgewise thereof, and means for moving said hammer bar toward and away from said stacked inserts to impart vibratory blows to the edges thereof and thereby cause any insert within said magazine which is not in said flat face-toiace relation to the stacked inserts to fall into said relation.

2. A device for feeding inserts of disc or ring form for crown caps comprising a vertically disposed tubular magazine for receiving a plurality of" inserts to be stacked therein in superposed iiat face-to-face relation, said magazine throughout the length thereof having aninternal diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said inserts whereby to maintain the edges of said inserts in substantial alignment once they have been brought into stacked relation in said magazine, said magazine also having a slot extending lengthwise in the wall thereof, a hopper for providing a supply of said inserts, feeding means interposed between said hopper and said magazine for feeding said inserts from said hopper to the upper end of said tubular magazine, means for reciprocating said feeding means relative to the hopper and magazine, a hammer bar positioned within said slot and extending therealong adjacent the edges of the stacked inserts in said tubular magazine, means supporting said' slot into and out of contact with said stacked inserts and edgewise thereto, and means responsive to-reciprocating movements of said feeding means for urging said hammer bar toward said stacked inserts to impart vibratory blows to the edges of said stacked inserts and cause any insert within said magazine which is not in said flat; face-to-face relation to the stacked inserts to fall into said relation.

JOHN WESLEY HOFFECKER.

JAMES WILSON.

WILLIAM NENSTIEHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: v

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Lynch Dec. 6, 1927' Alberti Sept; 21, 1920 Bogdanii'y July 15, 1924 Raul Aug. 30, 1938 Stevens May28, 1935 Fischer May 24, 1910 Evans June 28, 1932 

